Ryan White 2012 Grantee Meeting

All sizes and all parts of Ryan White grantee programs continue to experience an "up and down battle" with improving cervical cancer screening rates among HIV-positive female patients. Many grantees have experienced the frustration of achieving improvement goals and then, when they re-measure the results 6 months to a year later, they find the rates declining. The experiences of two HIVQUAL-US Quality Management Groups, located in Mississippi and Eastern Pennsylvania, will be shared highlighting their patient population characterisitcs, the range of results, the most effective interventions, and the difficulties in sustaining their rates. Results from both groups ranged from a low 17 percent to a high of 91 percent. Additionally, specific QI tools used for identifying causal factors to low rates will be shared and discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn to identify successful interventions for improving cervical cancer screens as measured by HIVQUAL-US Regional Groups.
• Engage in a dialogue with presenters and other participants about their own experiences with (1) improving cervical cancer screening rates, (2) the challenges involved in helping female patients get their annual exams and (3) sustaining improvement gains.